Robert Downey Jr. reacts to Quentin Tarantino's criticism of Marvel movies: 'It is a waste of time to be at war with ourselves'
- "Iron Man" star Robert Downey Jr. commented on Quentin Tarantino's Marvel criticism.
- The "Pulp Fiction" director previously said audiences don't see Marvel movies for the actors.
The conversation around the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its place in cinema continues on, as more stars react to Quentin Tarantino's recent comments about the franchise and how audiences only go to theaters to see the characters, not the stars that play them.
"Iron Man" star Robert Downey Jr. is the most recent actor to discuss the criticism, after both Simu Liu and Samuel L. Jackson responded to the "Kill Bill" director's comments.
The actor touched on the topic when speaking to Deadline about his career and working on his documentary for Netflix, "Sr.," about his late father.
Downey Jr. said that properties like the MCU have definitely become a priority in the industry over "personality" and acknowledged that he's contributed to that mentality.
He said: "I think that we are in a time and place that I unwittingly contributed to, where IP has taken precedence over principle and personality. But it's a double-edged sword."
However, the "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" and "Sherlock Holmes" star also pointed out that these films are only ever as good as the people on both sides of the camera.
Downey Jr. added: "A piece of IP is only as good as the human talent you get to represent it, and you can have some great IP even if it's coming from an auteur or a national treasure of a writer-director, and if you don't have the right kind of artist playing that role, you'll never know how good it could have been."
The actor went on to say that the argument around the MCU is pointless, adding: "I think that creatively it is a waste of time to be at war with ourselves."
The actor also noted that he was previously annoyed about criticisms and conversations like this, but he's reached a point where he'd rather just "get over it."
"Throwing stones one way or another … and I've had my reactions in the past when people said things that I felt were discrediting my integrity … I go, 'You know what? Let's just get over it. We're all a community.'"
Downey Jr. also pointed out that when big blockbusters earn billions at the box office, it can actually help make space for smaller projects.
"There's enough room for everything, and thank God for 'Top Gun: Maverick' and 'Avatar: The Way of Water.' That's all I have to say. We need the big stuff to make room for films like 'Armageddon Time,'" the actor reasoned.